Glass setting assembly



Oct. 19, 1965 H. B. NEAL GLASS SETTING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 16, 1965 ATTORNEYJ R L M/ A O H e T N M 4 N E B V 2 m m m J M a l 3 w N w W M w 2M. G F & A @U/ 52::

United States Patent 3,212,225 GLASS SETTING ASSEMBLY Harry B. Neal,Atlanta, Ga, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Anaconda AluminumCompany, Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Montana Filed Jan. 16, 1963,Ser. No. 251,795 4 Claims. (Cl. 5250tl) This invention relates to glasssetting assemblies, and more particularly to glass setting assemblies ofthe type wherein two extruded metallic members are employed, one of themembers being fixedly mounted to a building frame and the second memberbeing resiliently clipped to the first member to cooperate with thefirst member in receiving and retaining an edge portion of a glasspanel, as in a store window construction or the like.

Glass setting constructions of the type with which the present inventionis concerned are frequently referred to as snap-in assemblies in that inthe installation procedure the final step finds the second member beingresiliently clipped or snapped-in into its assembled position by theseating of a spring clip member in an internal recess or groove in thesecond member. In a conventional type of assembly, the second membermust be pushed horizontally inwardly to be snapped-in place and thuscomplete the assembly. In other instances, the engagement between thespring clip and the second member is such that it is necessary for thesecond member to be rotated or moved in a curved path during assembly.Such assemblies suffer the disadvantages that some locations where theassembly is being made do not permit a horizontal push-in of the secondmember because of space limitations and, where it is necessary for thesecond member to be rotated or moved in a curved path during theassembly, this is an obvious inconvenience if the second member is ofsubstantial length, as in a store front assembly. Also, in many knownassemblies, the glass panel is not secured in position until the secondmember has been snapped-in place.

A glass setting assembly according to the present invention overcomesdisadvantages such as those just discussed in that the second member ismoved in a direction parallel to the surface of the glass panel insnapping the second member in place to complete the assembly. Thispermits the assembly to be utilized even though there is insufiicientroom to accommodate the conventional type of assembly wherein the secondmember must be pushed in horizontally from the front in order to besnapped into place. Furthermore, an assembly according to the presentinvention includes a spring clip constructed and arranged so that theclip can be secured in place with respect to the fixed channel memberand will engage and retain the glass panel, for example, prior toputting the second channel member in place to complete the assembly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a snap-inglass setting assembly of the type referred to above wherein the secondmember is moved into its final assembled position by movement in astraight line parallel to the surface of the glass panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a glass setting assemblyof the type referred to above wherein the spring clip is resilientlysecured in position with respect to the first or fixed channel memberand is operable to resiliently retain the glass panel in assembledrelationship with the fixed or first channel member prior to theassembly of the second channel member therewith.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a glass settingassembly of the type referred to above wherein a glazing strip on thesecond channel member is resiliently biased into engagement against theouter surface of a glass panel by the action of the spring clip in re-3,212,225 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 siliently retaining the second memberin its assembled position.

The foregoing, and other objects, are achieved in a glass settingassembly wherein the fixed or first member referred to above isconstructed with a base web having a pair of facing spring retainingpockets defined by its inner surface. The pockets are adapted to receiveand resiliently retain opposed toe and heel portions of a spring clipmember which is constructed with one upstanding leg portion adapted toengage the front or other surface of the glass panel, and to resilientlyurge the panel rearwardly against the panel locating flange on the firstmember. On the front or outer edge of the base web, a verticallyprojecting tongue is adapted to be received within a complementarygroove or recess formed in the second channel member.

The second member is assembled in position upon the first member bymoving the second member parallel to and in engagement with the front orouter side of a glass panel to seat the tongue of the fixed member inthe groove of the second member. A second leg on the spring clip isadapted to be seated within a forwardly facing recess at the interior ofthe second member which is located inwardly of a rearwardly facingglazing strip assembly. The second spring clip leg not only retains thesecond member against movement tending to disengage the tongue andgroove engagement between the two channel members, but furtherresiliently biases the glazing strip against the front or outer portionof the glass panel.

The assembly is adapted to be bonded in position in a building frame bybonding the outer surface of the base web of the first member to theframe. The base web of the first member is of substantially uniformthickness and is formed with a laterally offset portion which defines abonding groove in the outer surface of the base web and, at the sametime, forms an inwardly projecting shoulder on the inner surface of thebase. This latter shoulder is formed to serve as a glass stop locatingshould-er.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent byreference to the following specification and to the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass setting assembly embodying theinvention with various parts broken away or shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on a vertical planeadjacent the upper and lower edges of a glass panel supported by theglass setting assembly of FIG. -1; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view illustrating the method ofassembly of the glass setting construction of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIG. 3, the glass setting assembly of the presentinvention includes first and second channel members designated generally10 and 12 respectively, and a plurality of spring clips designatedgenerally 14 which function in a manner to be described in more detailbelow to maintain channel members 10 and 12 and a glass panel 16 inassembled relationship with each other. In the usual case, channelmembers 10 and 12 are aluminum or other metallic extrusions which arecut to length in accordance with the dimensions of the window or otheropening involved. The glass setting construction shown in the drawingsis employed on the top and bottom and both sides of the glass panel, theonly difference between the respective sides being the specificdimensions of the sides and the fact that a suitable number of glassstops such as 18 are employed to support the lower edge of the glasspanel, these stops being omitted on the sides and top.

Channel member is formed with a base web of substantially uniformthickness and having parallel front and rear edges 22 and 24respectively. Base web 20 is generally flat, but is formed with alaterally offset portion 26 which defines a bonding compound receivingrecess on the outerside of web 20 and improves the bond between base web20 and the mastic-like bonding compound which is employed to bondchannel member 10' in position to the building frame. On the inner sideof web 20, offset portion 26 forms a shoulder 30 which, in cooperationwith a projection 32, is employed to locate glass stops 18.

A rear wall 34 is formed integrally with base web 20 and projectsperpendicularly from rear edge 24 thereof. At the edge of rear wall 34remote from base web 20, a forwardly projecting flange 36 is formed toengage the rear or inner surface of glass panel 16 to locate the paneledge 38 in parallel relationship with edges 22 and 24 of base web 20 ata location intermediate edges 22 and 24.

At a location spaced from base web 20, a forwardly projecting lip 40 isformed on the interior or forward side of rear wall 34, lip 40 definingin cooperation with the rearward portion of base web 20' a forwardlyopening spring receiving pocket 42. Adjacent front edge 22, an integralprojection 44 is formed on base web 20 to define a rearwardly facingspring pocket 46 in opposed facing relationship to pocket 42.

Spring clip 14 is formed with a toe portion 48 and a heel portion 50which are adapted to be respectively received in pockets 42 and 46 and,when so received, pockets 42 and 46 serve to retain spring clip 14against base web 20. A first leg portion 52 on spring clip 14 is formedto engage the front surface of a glass panel 16 to resiliently bias thepanel rearwardly against flange 36 of channel member 10. A second leg 54projects upwardly from heel portion 50 and is formed at its upper endwith a curved rearwardly projecting protuberance 56.

To locate the second channel member 12 in assembled relationship withchannel member 10, a tongue 58 is formed integrally with base web 20 andprojects perpendicularly from front edge 22 of base web 20. Channelmember 12 includes a front web or wall 60 having a projection 62 formedon its inner or rear surface which defines a tongue receiving groove 64in which tongue 58 is seated when members 10 and 12 are in theirassembled relationship. A glazing web 66 projects rearwardly from frontweb 60 in perpendicular relationship to the front web and, at therearward edge of web 66 an inwardly projecting enlargement 68 is formedhaving a recess 70 shaped to receive and retain a vinyl glazing strip72.

Enlargement 68 is formed with a forwardly facing recess 74 in whichprotuberance 56 of spring clip 14 is adapted to be received when channelmembers 10 and 12 are in their assembled relationship. An inclinedsurface 76 is formed on enlargement 68 to wedge leg portion 54 of springclip 14 outwardly away from its relaxed position as shown in FIG. 3 aschannel member 12 is moved toward assembled relationship with channelmember 10. When protuberance 56 is seated in recess 74, leg 54 islocated in the broken line position shown in FIG. 3 and thus, with theparts in the assembled relationship as shown in FIG. 2, leg 54 exerts arearwardly directed resilient biasing force urging glazing strip 72against the front surface of glass panel 16.

The assembly and glass panel are installed in the following manner. Asthe initial step, channel members 10 defining the four sides of thewindow frame are bonded into position upon the building frame. Asuitable number of glass stops 18 are then located on the channel member10 defining the lower side of the assembly and the glass panel 16 isthen moved into position to engage the forward surfaces of flanges 36 onall four sides of the window. A suitable number of spring clips 14 arethen inserted into the respective channel members 10 by inserting toeportion 48 into its pocket 42, forcing the spring clip rearwardlyagainst the biasing action of leg 52 and forcing heel portion 50downwardly into alignment with spring receiving pocket 46. When the heelportion is located against base web 20, the clip is released and thebiasing action of leg 52 forces heel portion 50 forwardly into pocket46. When clip 14 is seated in both pockets 42 and 46, leg portion 52exerts a rearward biasing action against the front surface of glasspanel 16 and, when the necessary number of spring clips have beenplaced, the glass panel is secured in position independently of thesubsequent installation of channel members 12.

Channel members 12 are installed in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3 bymoving the channel member to engage glazing strip 72 with the frontsurface of the glass panel, and then moving the channel member 12 as aunit perpendicularly toward base web 20 in the direction indicated bythe arrow in FIG. 3. As channel member 12 is moved in this directiontoward base web 20, inclined surface 76 engages protuberance 56, wedgingleg portion 54 of the spring clip toward the broken line position ofFIG. 3. When channel member 12 arrives at its final location in whichtongue 58 is fully seated within groove 64, protuberance 56 snaps intorecess 74, thus resiliently locking channel member 12 in its finalassembled position and, at the same time, resiliently biasing glazingstrip 72 into sealing engagement with the front or outer surface ofglass panel 16.

While I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of myinvention, I wish it to be understood that I do not intend to berestricted solely thereto, but that I do intend to cover allmodifications which would be apparent to one skilled in the art, andwhich come Within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A glass setting assembly adapted to receive and retain an edge of aglass panel comprising a first elongate channel member having a base webwith parallel front and rear edges, an integral rear well projectingperpendicularly from the rear edge of said base web, flange means onsaid rear wall engageable with the rear surface of a glass panel tolocate the panel edge in parallel relationship with the edges of saidbase web, a tongue projecting perpendicularly from the front edge ofsaid base web in opposed parallel relationship to said rear wall, asecond elongate channel member having integral first and second websprojecting perpendicularly to each other, means on the inner surface ofsaid first web defining a groove adapted to receive said tongue tolocate said second channel member in assembled relationship with saidfirst channel member with the inner surface of said first web disposedin face-to-face relationship with the front surface of said tonguewhereby, in said assembled relationship, said first web defines a frontwall of said assembly located in spaced parallel relationship to saidrear wall, glazing strip means on said second web of said second channelmember engageable with the front surface of a glass panel in opposedrelationship to said first channel rear wall flange means when saidchannel members are in their assembled relationship, and spring clipmeans resiliently retained on said base web and engageable with saidsecond web of said second channel member when said channel members arein their assembled relationships to resiliently urge said glazing meansagainst the front surface of said glass panel and to simultaneouslyretain said second channel member in said assembled relationship withsaid first channel member.

2. A glass setting assembly adapted to receive and retain an edge of aglass panel comprising a first elongate channel member having a base webwith parallel front and rear edges, a rear wall integral with andprojecting perpendicularly from the rear edge of said base web, a tongueintegral with and projecting perpendicularly from the front edge of saidbase web, a second elongate channel member having a front web, means onthe inner side of said front web defining a seating groove adapted toreceive said tongue, said tongue and said groove being operable whensaid tongue is seated in said groove to locate said front web of saidsecond channel member in substantially perpendicular relationship tosaid base web of said first channel member, means on said base webadjacent the front and rear edges thereof defining a pair of spacedopposed facing spring pockets, a spring clip having a toe portionresiliently seated in one of said pockets and a heel portion resilientlyseated in the other of said pockets, said pockets cooperativelyretaining said spring clips upon said base web, glazing stn'p means onsaid second channel member projecting rearwardly from said front web andhaving a forwardly facing recess on the inner side thereof, a forwardlyfacing panel locating flange on said rear wall of said first channelmember, a leg portion on said spring clip projecting away from said baseweb, and means on the end of said leg portion remote from said base webadapted to seat in said recess on said glazing strip means when thetongue of said first channel member is seated in the seating groove ofsaid second channel member for retaining said tongue in seatedengagement within said groove and for resiliently biasing said glazingstrip means toward said panel locating flange means on said rear wall.

3. A glass setting assembly adapted to receive and locate an edge of aglass panel comprising a first elongate channel member having a base webwith parallel front and rear edges, an integral rear wall projectingperpendicularly from the rear edge of said base web, flange means onsaid rear wall engageable with the rear surface of a glass panel tolocate the panel edge in parallel relationship with the edges of saidbase web at a location intermediate said edges of said base web, meansadjacent the front and rear edges of said base web defining a pair ofspaced opposed facing spring pockets on said base web, a spring cliphaving a toe portion resiliently seated in one of said pockets and aheel portion resiliently engaged in the other of said pockets, saidpockets cooperatively retaining said spring clip on said base web, afirst leg portion on said spring clip located to engage the frontsurface of a glass panel engaged with said flange means and toresiliently bias said glass panel against said flange means, a tongue onsaid base web projecting perpendicularly from the front edge of saidbase web, a second channel member having a front web and rearwardlyfacing glazing strip means projecting perpendicularly from one edge ofsaid front web, means on the rearward side of said front web defining aseating groove adapted to receive said tongue of said first channelmember to locate said second channel member in assembled relationshipwith said first channel member wherein said front web of said secondchannel member is in spaced opposed parallel relationship with the rearwall of said first channel member and said glazing strip means isengaged with the front surface of a glass panel in opposed relationshipto said flange means, a second leg on said spring clip, and means onsaid glazing strip means engageable with said second leg of said springclip for resiliently retaining said glazing strip means against thefront surface of a glass panel and for simultaneously retaining saidtongue in seated relationship in said groove when said channel membersare in their assembled relationship.

4. A setting assembly for a glass panel and the like, the assemblycomprising a first elongate channel member having a base adapted to befixed to the frame of a building, a rear wall projecting transverselyfrom one end of the base and a flange projecting inwardly from the rearwall for engaging one side of a panel to be held in the assembly, atongue projecting perpendicularly from the front edge of said base inopposed parallel relationship to said rear wall, a second elongatechannel member having a front wall opposite to said rear wall andextending toward the other end of said base, and a glazing webprojecting inwardly toward said flange from the front wall for engagingthe other side of the panel, means on the inner surface of said frontwall defining a groove adapted to receive said tongue to locate saidsecond channel memher in assembled relationship with said first channelmember, and spring means on said base having a leg engageable with asidglazing web for urging said glazing web against the other side of thepanel and for retaining said tongue in seated engagement within saidgroove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,114,722 4/38Owen 20-564 2,121,094 6/38 Nuding et al. 2056.4 2,209,536 7/40 Owen2056.4 2,268,269 12/41 Toney et al 2056.4 2,757,421 8/56 Toney 20-5642,813,313 11/57 Shrode 20-564 2,971,229 2/61 May 20-56.4

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

4. A SETTING ASSEMBLY FOR A GLASS PANEL AND THE LIKE, THE ASSEMBLYCOMPRISING A FIRST ELONGATE CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A BASE ADAPTED TO BEFIXED TO THE FRAME OF A BUILDING, A REAR WALL PROJECTING TRANVERSELYFROM ONE END OF THE BASE AND FLANGE PROJECTING INWARDLY FROM THE REARWALL FOR ENGAGING ONE SIDE OF A PANEL TO BE HELD IN THE ASSEMBLY, ATONGUE PROJECTING PERPENDICULARLY FROM THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID BASE INOPPOSED PARALLE RELATIONSHIP TO SAID REAR WALL, A SECOND ELONGATECHANNEL MEMBER HAVING A FRONT WALL OPPOSITE TO SAID REAR WALL ANDEXTENDING TOWARD THE OTHER END OF SAID BASE, AND A GLAZING WEBPROJECTING INWARDLY TOWARD SAID FLANGE FROM THE FRONT WALL FOR ENGAGINGTHE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANEL, MEANS TO THE